A genome-wide association study of stroke risk in Asian statin users: evidence from KoGES and UK Biobank

Background: Despite proven efficacy of statins in stroke prevention, genetic factors may influence individual stroke risk among statin users. With increasing precision medicine approaches and growing evidence of population-specific genetic variations, identifying genetic markers that predict stroke risk in statin-treated Asian populations has become critically important for personalized cardiovascular prevention strategies. Methods: We conducted a genome-wide association study of 1,678 participants using lipid-lowering agents in the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study (KoGES) cohort. Significant findings were replicated in 2,170 Asian participants on statins from the UK Biobank using an additive genetic model adjusted for relevant covariates. Results: In the discovery analysis, 83 single nucleotide polymorphisms were suggestively associated with stroke (p <1.0 × 10⁻⁵). Among these, 21 SNPs in the CDH13 gene were associated with increased stroke risk. The lead SNP, rs7201829, was significantly replicated in the UK Biobank (odds ratio: 2.29, p = 2.39 × 10⁻⁵). Conclusions: This study identified CDH13 as a significant genetic marker associated with stroke risk among Asian statin users. These findings provide the first genome-wide evidence for genetic determinants of stroke susceptibility during statin therapy, supporting the development of personalized prevention strategies in Asian populations.